The men behind Sharapova's resounding resurgence

Christopher Clarey, New York Times

Published
4:00 am PST, Sunday, January 27, 2008

Russia's Maria Sharapova smiles as she holds trophy during a photo call on a boat on the Yarra river in downtown Melbourne after beating Serbia's Ana Ivanovic to win the final of the Women's singles at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008. (AP Photo/Mark Baker) less

Russia's Maria Sharapova smiles as she holds trophy during a photo call on a boat on the Yarra river in downtown Melbourne after beating Serbia's Ana Ivanovic to win the final of the Women's singles at the ... more

Photo: Mark Baker

Photo: Mark Baker

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Russia's Maria Sharapova smiles as she holds trophy during a photo call on a boat on the Yarra river in downtown Melbourne after beating Serbia's Ana Ivanovic to win the final of the Women's singles at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, Saturday, Jan. 26, 2008. (AP Photo/Mark Baker) less

Russia's Maria Sharapova smiles as she holds trophy during a photo call on a boat on the Yarra river in downtown Melbourne after beating Serbia's Ana Ivanovic to win the final of the Women's singles at the ... more

After a difficult, disappointing 2007 by Sharapova's exacting standards, one filled with shoulder discomfort and emotional trauma, this season is off to a perfect start: seven matches and seven victories with no sets lost despite one of the toughest draws conceivable.

"If you put the whole tournament together, for sure it was the best tennis she's played," Joyce said after Sharapova's 7-5, 6-3 victory over Ana Ivanovic in Saturday's final. "Today was tough because it was so hot. To be honest, of all the Grand Slams, this is one of the toughest to win because conditions can change day after day."

Joyce, a 34-year-old former touring professional who peaked at No. 64 in the ATP rankings, has known Sharapova since she was 10 and both were taking regular lessons with Robert Lansdorp, the gruff, California-based ground-stroke guru. Joyce hit with Sharapova on occasion then and began helping her on a full-time basis in 2004, shortly after his career wound down and shortly after hers soared with her surprising Wimbledon victory at age 17.

"This is like success the second time around, and it's actually a lot sweeter," Sharapova said. "Because I think I've proven to myself that I can come back from having setbacks and negative thoughts and having doubts in my mind of: 'Where is this injury taking me? It's not making me a better player. It's making me sit at home and spend my money on artwork. I'm not having a great time here.' "

By most tennis players' standards, this hardly counts as delayed gratification. At age 20, Sharapova has been ranked No. 1 and has won three Grand Slam singles titles. All she needs now is the French Open title to complete her collection.

"It's probably one of the biggest challenges I'm going to have in my career, to win it," Sharapova said. "But as you all know, I love the challenges, and that's what drives me, and I'm getting better and better and feeling stronger."

Joyce has gradually emerged as the biggest day-to-day influence on Sharapova's game and, though her excitable father remains on the official coaching staff, she now calls Joyce "basically my main coach" and spent the offseason training with him exclusively.

"A lot of the things I go through as a tennis player, he's been through many times," she said. "My dad ... played but was never professional."

Sharapova said she also considers Joyce "a very close part of my family," and on Saturday, she underscored their strong, emotional connection by dedicating her victory to Joyce's mother, Jane, whose death from cancer last year was another reason that 2007 was a traumatic season. Meanwhile, the bursitis in Sharapova's right shoulder that surfaced shortly before this tournament in 2007 was damaging her season, cutting into her practice time and keeping her from serving without fear until a cortisone injection in September calmed the condition.

When she returned to practice in Los Angeles in late November after a brief vacation, Joyce sensed that good results were ahead. "From the first day we started training in the offseason, she was kind of like a woman on a mission," he said.

Joyce said Sharapov, who is widely viewed inside and outside the tennis world as an overbearing parent, is part of why Sharapova is so competitive.

"I think part of the reason she has that fighting mentality is because of him in a way, because it's like us against the world. It's kind of like the persona he puts out. But we have a great time. You know, he's funny as can be."

Men's final TV

Third-ranked Novak Djokovic played No. 38 Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Australian Open men's final at 12:30 a.m. PST today, after press time. You can see the match on tape at 9 a.m. today on ESPN2 and see coverage on SFGate.com.